A parade kickstarted the celebrations. Starting at Queen Mary Road and Northcote at noon, it headed east on Fleet and ended in Hampstead Park with a full afternoon of music and fireworks in the evening.

The parade showcased over 60 groups and more than 850 participants, including 15 ethnic dance groups, antique and exotic cars, salsa groups, bands, circus performers, celebrities and dignitaries, free giveaways and an amazing birthday cake float created by local public works employee Olivier Roy.

GALLERY: Hampstead celebrates 100 years

The Town of Hampstead is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a float made by a local municipal worker.

HO/Town of Hampstead

Montreal Auxiliary Fire Department at the Hampstead parade

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The Damned Truth join the festivities in Hampstead.

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Kids celebrating Hampstead’s 100th birthday

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Montreal police on duty at the celebrations in Hampstead

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The reviewing stand at Hampstead’s 100th anniversary

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Despite the rain, hundreds came out to celebrate Hampstead’s 100th anniversary

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The festivities kicked off with a parade to celebrate Hampstead’s 100th anniversary.

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The concert in the park featured Ginette Reno (singing the national anthem), special guest Guy Lafleur and several well-known acts, including local rock’n’roll band The Damn Truth, two-time Grammy nominated American R&B, pop, soul, and house singer Martha Wash, American house music singer and songwriter Crystal Waters and the Montreal Backbeat Show Band.

The Red Deer, Alta.-based company says the new stations will complement its existing 44 Chevron-branded sites in British Columbia and cement its position as one of Canada’s largest fuel retailers with more than 1,800 service stations.

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The sale also involves 37 commercial cardlock and three marine fuelling locations, as well as three terminals in B.C. and a wholesale business that includes aviation fuel sales to the Vancouver International Airport.

“I believe we’ve found an opportunity that is an ideal next step for Parkland on its growth trajectory,” said CEO Bob Espey on a conference call.

“I’m certainly excited for the road ahead for Parkland.”

He said the acquisition will support Parkland’s existing operations in B.C., leading to between $35 million and $50 million in annual operating cost savings within three years.

The purchase of the refinery gives Parkland access to the Trans Mountain oil pipeline from Alberta as well as a marine dock on Burrard Inlet that will open new opportunities in fuel imports and exports, Espey said.

Parkland plans to issue 24 million shares to raise $660 million to help finance the Chevron purchase, which is expected to close at the end of the year.

READ MORE: Calgary-based Chevron Canada Resources to cut 130 jobs

In August, Parkland announced it would pay about US$750 million to acquire the Canadian retail fuel assets of Texas-based CST Brands.

Last March, Parkland bought Esso stations in Saskatchewan and Manitoba as part of a deal by Imperial Oil to sell its remaining 497 Esso retail stations in Canada to five fuel distributors for $2.8 billion.

Beginning tomorrow, soccer fans will be able to purchase tickets for the final match of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be played right here in B.C.

The tickets will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The match will be played July 5 at BC Place in Vancouver.

Prices start at just $50 for Category 4, $85 for Category 3, $125 for Category 2, and $165 for Category 1.

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The Women’s World Cup landed at the center of controversy last month when international women’s soccer stars threatened legal action against FIFA and Soccer Canada, demanding the World Cup be played on natural grass rather than artificial turf.

Many of the Canadian venues, including BC Place, have artificial turf.

The women say FIFA would never allow men to play on artificial turf and having the women’s World Cup on a second class surface amounts to gender discrimination.

Forty athletes have sent a letter, claiming it is gender discrimination because they are being forced to play on a substandard and widely-held inferior surface.

Hollywood actor Tom Hanks even waded into the debate, saying female players deserve to play on real grass.

Opinion: Women’s World Cup is the best Soccer of the year. Hey FIFA, they deserve real grass. Put in sod. Hanx

— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) August 22, 2014

The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup runs June 6 to July 5 in six Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montréal and Moncton.

WATCH: Canada’s Women’s National Soccer Team Coach John Herdman talks about next year’s World Cup and Canada’s chances